The Masquerade
by Hikari Alizz
Summary: Keeping a façade is easier than the speaking the truth. What happens when your mortal enemy is the one that crumbles your mask? Shizuo/Izaya YAOI angst and fluff later, eventually.
1. Chapter 1

**The Masquerade  
****  
**

**Chapter 1**

The sun had just set as a pink hue blended with different shades of blue to colour the sky. The lights illuminated the streets and buildings, together with a waning crescent moon that sat right upon Sunshine City. A warm, sticky waft smeared the perfect image of Ikebukuro, as the residents and passers-by removed their jackets at the unexpected heat. Shizuo sighed for the fifth time as he tried to roll up his sleeves farther up. Hot weather often made him even more nervous than usual. He took out a cigarette and lit it up, losing himself in the sensation of tainted smoke filling his lungs to forget about the heat.

Students wearing different uniforms walked in different directions, probably strolling towards their corresponding homes. Older people just hanged around, chatting with their friends or lovers. Shizuo Heiwajima walked past them, not really paying attention to the surroundings, as he looked at nowhere in particular. Even though he was feeling quite edgy due to the scorching weather, his mind was somewhat void of any unwanted thoughts. For five days he didn't have to resort to violence, especially since he didn't have any work as Tom was out of the city, and that made him feel rather proud.

The blond pulled the remaining cigarette from his mouth and dropped it on the floor to step on it. As he was about to resume his evening walk, a certain feeling crept up upon his skin that immediately filled his tranquil mind. His face contorted into a frown as he muttered to himself; "why does the air suddenly feel more polluted than ever?" A group of high school girls hurried their pace to the opposite direction as they saw Shizuo walking towards them with an angry vibe. He stopped midway and looked on his left, where he noticed a familiar black jacket with fur in a dark narrow alley. He stomped towards his target as he prepared his baritone voice to yell.

"Iz- !"

He stopped in the middle of his typical shout and halted behind a big wooden box that hid him from his mortal enemy and his company, which he hadn't seen before. From the little that he could hear and see, Izaya was surrounded by three older men. Shizuo wouldn't normally stop from kicking Izaya's ass away from Ikebukuro, no matter who his company is, but somehow the air felt different from before. When the blond realised what he was thinking, he shook his head at his own stupidity and moved away from the wooden box to do what he planned on doing.

That was when he saw it; as one of the man pushed his mobile right underneath the informant's nose, his friend started to talk, until he shouted in an amused voice; "… But you're just going to fake it once again, won't you? To hide that lack of confidence, to hide your weakness, to hide how much you hate yourself."

Shizuo would have snorted at the ridiculous statement that he had heard if he didn't see, thanks to the light from the mobile, for the first time in his life, Izaya's smile faltering completely for a second as an entirely different expression flitted on his face. However he regained his composure so quickly that the other three men didn't even notice his vulnerability. As fast as a thunder, the information broker had his switchblade in his right hand pointing towards the standing man, while the other two found themselves crouching on the floor after being hit simultaneously by Izaya's left hand and leg.

"So, I suppose we have reached an agreement, didn't we?" he said calmly, his usual smirk planted on his face. The three men nodded silently and Izaya turned away, walking towards Shizuo, who once again hid behind the wooden box, unseen due to the pitch black darkness. He waited until Izaya was out of the alley to glance at the three men who were whispering quietly. Unsure on how to proceed, whether he should run after the black haired man or go force the three men to talk, Shizuo went with his instinct. Izaya managed to blend with the rest of the people wandering in Ikebukuro, however the blond could still see his glossy black hair and he finally caught up to him when he walked in a less hectic street.

"Oy, Izaya-kun," he called out, as he grabbed the other man's shoulder. Izaya took his time to turn around, as if he was hesitating. Shizuo never got to know for sure whether he was hesitating due to the surprise at being simply touched by his enemy instead of getting punched or because he was lost in his thoughts. When he eventually looked at the blond, he slipped away from Shizuo's grip to face him. His red eyes gleamed like they usually did to match his smile. _It seems like what happened before was just my imagination… But…_

"Shizu-chan~ No flying vending machines today, huh?" he said, with the usual amused voice that would normally annoy the blond so much that he'd smash Izaya's head against the nearest wall.

However, with some effort, Shizuo simply ignored the sarcastic question and went straight to the point; "What happened back then in the alley?"

"My, my, Shizu-chan, were you stalking me?" replied Izaya, concealing perfectly whatever emotion passed through him as he heard about the small event at the alley. Shizuo closed his eyes, as if trying really hard to force back his usual violent attitude, and remained silent. Izaya wondered why on earth, for the first time since they met, the blond remained calm, even if he was provoking him.

"I just happened to be there," he finally muttered, agitation slowly rising in his voice. His left hand flew towards his chest to grab his cigarettes. Izaya was studying his actions slowly, as he failed to understand what was passing through Shizuo's head. The hand which was still lingering near his chest remained empty, as if waiting for a cigarette to fall from the sky. "I saw you with those three men," he stated.

Izaya simply shrugged, after whispering a "so unpredictable, like usual, Shizu-chan" that was however unheard by the other. He pulled out his switchblade quietly behind his back before uttering with a small laugh; "So what? It was the usual business. You know, in case you forgot, I am an underground information broker."

"What the hell was that expression you made?" Shizuo simply asked, ignoring the reply he received as his mind replayed the strange solemn face that Izaya made back in the alley.

"Haha~ Since when do you pay that much attention to me, Shizu-chan?" he questioned. As he saw that the other man was about to respond he flicked his switchblade towards him, managing to prod his neck as he was engaged in the conversation. "Maybe too much attention~"

"You bastard!" Shizuo growled, as he stepped back and quickly grabbed the nearest object, which happened to be a large trash can. Izaya simply laughed like a maniac as he dodged the flying object and disappeared into another street. The blond ran after him, angry with the informant for being such an asshole. However he felt angrier with himself for even thinking of pitying the annoying flea. _As if that bastard could feel anything that resembled sadness or emptiness._

Blinded by pure anger at everything and everyone, he lost sight of Izaya. As he came to a halt in an unknown side street, he punched the wall with all the strength that he could muster up. Warm blood tickled his fingers as it trailed all over his hand. He sighed, trying to contain his ire to prevent another bloody hand, and grabbed another cigarette as he walked back to his apartment.

* * *

"Haha~ So sharp, Shizu-chan," Izaya stated with a snicker, amusement flickering on his face as he looked at the city from a high roof. His snicker turned into another lunatic laugh, a sound devoid of any emotion yet overflowing with an obscure thrill, until it integrated into a forced snort as he placed his palm on his face. All the mirth and mockery disappeared as he whispered; "Too sharp for a protozoan brain like you."

* * *

**A/N:** So, I actually planned this to be a one-shot. However when I finished it, I wasn't content with it and then I thought that a Shizuo/Izaya relationship would be nicer if it is built slowly, since they are both complex characters. I am totally and utterly a bad writer of multi-chaptered fiction since I rarely finish them, which is why I usually go for one-shots, but I'd like to try this. I don't think this will be a long multi-chaptered fic, plus if I ever feel uninspired, I'll just post the one-shot that I already wrote.

So, there. Please let me know what you think until now even if you don't think I should continue it; I know it's short, but I swear it will get much longer. Thanks for reading.

-HA


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**: Ahh! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favourited and/or put this in alerts, here or on DA. Much appreciated! Really put me in a good mood, especially on Monday morning when I was waiting to have an interview. PS. To the guest who requested Shizaya fluff; please bear with me, it's a slow angsty build up but we'll get there, promise… ^^

* * *

**Chapter 2**

The sound of footsteps chasing each other aimlessly was the only audible noise in the small apartment owned by Shizuo. His eyes darted towards a wall clock as he finally stopped in front of the fridge. It was still midday; three days after his encounter with Izaya he was going to return to work since his friend was back from his trip. He couldn't wait until he let out his rage which was still prevailing. The previous two days he tried to calm down by staying inside his flat. He did nothing but random things; however it did not work as he was still feeling his blood boiling.

For this reason, he was looking forward to restart his work as a bodyguard of the debt collector, since he could let out completely his fury with a good reason. He opened the fridge and stared at it for a whole minute before closing it again without taking anything from it. He resumed pacing around, looking once again at the clock. That became his daily routine since he decided to stay in. He stopped once again by the fridge, his left hand hovering over his naked torso as his right hand fished for the packet of cigarettes residing inside his shorts' pocket. He leaned against the fridge, closing his eyes when a sun ray made its way from the kitchen window and fell on his dyed blond hair and face. Sweat trailed on his abdominals as he lit the cigarette and exhaled the smoke which filled the small kitchen. The heat persisted in those three days, not helping the blond in calming down. He was grateful for his cigarettes.

When his cigarette became too short to smoke, he threw it out of the window and glanced once again at the clock. He shrugged, as if someone reprimanded him, and muttered to himself; "Fuck it, I'm going to kick some asses to warm up for work. Maybe I'll meet that bastard and I'll erase that bloody grin from his face once and for all."

As his mortal enemy's face was painted in his mind, he began to pace again, faster than before, while he held his right hand, which was balled up into a fist, with his left one. After pacing for five more minutes while muttering all types of insulting adjectives combined with curses towards Izaya, he walked towards his bedroom and changed into his usual bartender clothes. He rolled up his sleeves and left his apartment.

The outside air was sticky and intense, strengthening the heat provided by the sun. People strolled by slowly, trying to conserve their energy. Shizuo glanced around, attentive to everyone's expressions and actions, to look out for anyone who was awaiting trouble. He mainly tried to search for a particular black haired man, but to no avail. However, he didn't have to look much around, as after five minutes of standing still in a central area of the city, a man bumped into him from behind.

Shizuo turned around to find a man with dyed red hair, along with two other males, growling at him. "You bastard bumped into me on purpose, didn't you?" he shouted, launching himself to punch the blond, who easily blocked his punch and smirked as he found the perfect prey.

"Are you accusing me? Eh! Because you know what happens when someone accuses me of something I didn't do?" Without waiting for the man's reply, he punched him straight in his guts, sending him flying to a nearby park. Shizuo turned to the other two, who looked like they were about to piss themselves from fear. As the blond was about to raise his right hand to prepare for another punch, a familiar roar could be heard. In a second, a black motorcycle was in front of him, dividing him from his next victim. After blinking twice, the street was filled with screams, panic and whispers. "It's the black rider!"

Shizuo acknowledged her presence with a simple nod, to which she replied with a simple wave. She then beckoned him to sit behind her as she fabricated a helmet around his head. He had no choice but to ride behind her and let her take him to whichever place she wanted to go. The wind hit his face, somewhat clearing his thoughts for the first time in those three days. After a quarter of an hour she stopped. The blond got off from the motorcycle and looked at Celty's apartment which she shared with Shinra.

In ten minutes they were seated on the sofa in complete silence, bar the sound of the wall clock which marked every second that passed. Shizuo sighed and looked at his friend as he finally spoke; "So, did you get me here for anything in particular?"

Celty looked at him for a while before typing a reply on her PDA. Shizuo craned his neck to look at the screen which read; 'Not really, just thought it was weird that I didn't see you around yesterday.' The blond went back to his original position and shrugged as he said; "I just stayed at home. You know, Tom-san was on a trip until today."

The headless faerie quickly typed back; 'I know but you don't like staying in that small apartment! Even if you have no work, you always walk around in Ikebukuro. And today…' She paused in hesitation and the blond looked at her questioningly. 'You seemed strange, as if you wanted to explode everyone in Ikebukuro.'

He gave a short emotionless laugh before muttering with a grin; "Ain't I always like that?"

She shook the helmet which was still placed on her neck as she wrote; 'No, you have a different aura.'

"What do you mean?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer to it. He realised that he was much more agitated and nervous after his encounter with Izaya, but the blond was still trying to deny that his enemy had that much effect on him.

If the black rider had a mouth to sigh with, a long exasperated breath would have come out. Instead she made a rapid movement with her hands, which Shizuo failed to understand, and typed; 'It just feels different, like something happened!' The man shrugged, unsure of what to answer. Celty has been his friend ever since he met her and she has been supportive throughout the years of their acquaintance. She would understand if he told her what made him erupt even more than usual. As he was thinking on how to start, she continued to write on her PDA; 'You know I'm your friend, you can tell me.'

His lips curved into a tiny smile full of gratitude; he was really glad he met Celty. "It's that fucking flea," he started. The headless rider tilted her helmet, inviting him to continue. She predicted that Izaya might be the cause of her friend's sudden excessive nervousness; he always was. "Though, this time… It's also my fucking fault."

Even though he couldn't read any expressions from her, Celty's body language was enough for Shizuo to understand that what he said was totally unexpected. She quickly recovered and nodded to invite him once again to continue. He sighed as he muttered; "Honestly, I don't even know myself. I just saw him in this alley with three other guys." He paused and took a moment to breath. He realised that even if he didn't tell much yet, he was already feeling slightly more relaxed. "I was about to call him when s-," he continued, however his narration was cut short as the sound of keys turning was heard.

Soon enough, the enthusiastic voice of Shinra called out an "I'm back!" which made sure everyone in the apartment block knew he was home. As he walked inside the living room and noticed a certain blond sitting near Celty, he said loudly; "Oh, Shizuo-kun! So nice that you've come to see me, though don't stay too close near my Celty." He approached the dullahan, who smacked him on his hand.

'Stop telling people what to do around me,' she wrote. Shizuo looked at the duo as a habitual routine was being played in front his eyes. However his mind wandered somewhere else, replaying an image which was too often recapped during those days. He tried to focus on his two friends when they suddenly both looked at him.

"So Shizuo-kun, what brings you here?" asked Shinra happily. Shizuo was unsure on what to reply, so he opted for a nonchalant shrug. Celty was about to type something on her PDA when Shinra talked again; "Do you want anything to drink? I am going to prepare some lunch, if you want. You can stay and eat with us."

Shizuo figured out that Celty must have written something to the doctor which made him aware that she was worried about him. He shook his head and replied; "No, thanks. Actually I should go; I'm going to meet Tom-san soon."

As they bid goodbye, Celty accompanied him near the door while writing; 'Are you sure you're alright? We didn't finish our talk. If you want I can get rid of Shinra…' He simply smiled and muttered a quiet "I'm fine now" before leaving the apartment. The headless rider wasn't totally sure of his reply but she let it pass anyway.

* * *

The few people that were scattered in the city walked away as soon as they saw the strongest man in Ikebukuro stroll by. The night had fallen and Shizuo had just finished from Tom's last client. He was taking a night walk, before going to sleep, while thinking of his day. He finally had a normal day; as soon as he left his friends' apartment he decided to walk around and continue his warming up since he still was too early for his job.

His mind was still overthinking, but it was starting to quiet down. When he finally met his friend, he managed to focus solely on his work. After beating up the first client, Shizuo was already starting to feel better. He let out all his anger on the ones that didn't want to return the money they owed to Tom, letting his knuckles smash against their nose to make a satisfying sound. His friend noted that he was being even more violent than before, but didn't dare to ask him anything about it, and so they parted with a simple "see you tomorrow" when they finished.

Shizuo stopped walking and glanced around; he finally felt at ease, on contrary to how he had been feeling after his meeting with Izaya. He sat on a bench while looking at the night sky. The stars were joyfully shining brightly, not covered by any clouds. Even though it was another warm night, a fresh breeze could be felt every now and then. The blond inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of a summer night, and closed his eyes. That's when he realised that he was actually very tired and he could feel his bones complaining.

After a tired yawn confirmed his fatigue, he opened his eyes. He blinked several times until he focused his eyesight enough to note that he wasn't alone anymore. In front of him stood Izaya who had both hands on his sides, looking at him as if he was his God. His face was expressionless as he looked at the blond; he didn't have his usual mocking smirk, nor did he have any negative feelings. It seemed as if he was simply thinking of nothing, like his brain was totally disconnected and his face was showing a default expression. Their eyes locked in a staring contest, electrifying their bodies. Shizuo was unsure on how to feel about his enemy's lack of expression. He looked deep inside Izaya's crimson eyes, trying to find any type of emotion, as he managed not to kick the black haired man with all his strength like he dreamt of doing the previous two days. _Is this like…_

His thoughts were interrupted when Izaya's stare lowered a little, allowing his mouth to curve a little up in what Shizuo classified as his usual mocking smirk. His face contorted into a typical frown that he makes around the informant as he shouted, as per usual; "I~ za~ ya-kun~!"

Izaya, who was fully smirking by now, stepped back as he uttered happily; "So nice to see you again, Shizu-chan~"

"What do you want? I've already told you too many times to not step in 'Bukuro!" Shizuo replied as he stood up and walked towards the other, closing the distance to aim for his face. Izaya remained in his position, smiling wryly as he shrugged. "You should be glad you're still standing after our last encounter!"

Even though his voice was full of menace, he made no move to hit the shorter man when he stood close enough to reach him. He didn't admit it to himself however a part of him was still searching for that emotion exhibited by Izaya as he looked at his eyes once again. The informant realised this since he glanced away and answered teasingly; "Well, I wasn't really feeling threatened by a guy who was half-asleep on a bench."

"You fuckin' bastard!" Shizuo growled, as he prepared to hit Izaya. The latter dodged a punch easily, moving to the left as he barked out a laugh. The blond scowled even deeper, muttering curses towards the younger as he raised his hand one more time for the second punch. Once again, Izaya leaped to the side to avoid being hit, laughing in the process. They continued their punch and dodge dance as they waltzed in the park, turning and moving around. The informant had his knife out after a minute of avoiding the other, which he used to draw some imperfect lines on him. They both grew breathless with time, panting as they avoided each other's hit. Sweat mixed with blood rested upon Shizuo's cheek, while his enemy had a bruising shoulder which couldn't be seen. Their eyes locked once again as they took a minute to breath, both alert about each other's actions. They were both grinning maniacally, the atmosphere of the fight showing in their expressions as well.

"This is so fun~" said Izaya with a jeer.

"Why are you always like this, you annoying flea? To think I was even worried about you," spit out Shizuo as his mind got blurred in a moment of ire. He quickly regretted what he said, swearing under his tongue to himself. Izaya continued to look at him, his grin still in place as if he didn't hear a word, though his thoughts were on a totally different wavelength. When he finally blinked, Shizuo hopped forward, grabbing the bench that was behind him to hit the black haired man in front of him. Izaya was taken aback; he had no time to dodge the attack, so he simply tried to block with his hands. The wood made a cracking noise as it collided with his forearms' flesh. The impact sent the raven head three steps back, coughing in response.

They were both looking fixatedly at each other when suddenly a loud yell was heard. The enemies looked on their right simultaneously, to see a group of around ten men wearing green outfits walking towards them. "Orihara!" one of them shouted, anger visible in his voice. Shizuo squinted to look deeper at them. He noted how their clothes were similar to the three who were in the alley with Izaya before; even though he hadn't seen them well, he remembered that they wore a sleeveless shirt and long pants. "Our master has been trying to contact you; why didn't you send back the _requested_ reply?"

Izaya stood straight and promptly regained his composure, smiling wickedly at them. He rubbed his arms nonchalantly to test their usability and replied calmly; "I thought I did send a reply, didn't I, Jake-san?" He turned his head towards the guy he mentioned, who gulped in response, and deepened his smirk. As he was about to continue, a large clash was heard. In a split of a second a monitor was sent in Izaya's way, landing only few centimetres in front of him. Not even having the time to wonder from where the hell the monitor came, Shizuo found himself punching a man who was almost as big as he was. Said man was about to kick Izaya, who tried to move but stopped abruptly to hold his hurt hand, after yelling; "You bastard, watch your tongue with my brother!"

The other men all jumped forward, preparing themselves to beat the two men. Shizuo widened his eyes as he felt his hand being tugged until he began to run in a random direction. He looked behind his back, to see a mass of green following him. Then he looked forward to meet the eyes of a grinning black haired man who was still pulling his hand. He could only follow his enemy, who wouldn't let go of his hand even when he shouted; "Oy, I can run by myself."

He led him into various narrow alleys, similar to the one which he saw Izaya and the three men in, that Shizuo never even knew of. He looked back once more but he couldn't see anything as it was a pitch black street. Silence fell upon them as they came to a halt. Their throbbing breaths steadied down slowly as they rested upon the wall. Izaya's fingers were still around Shizuo's wrist, even though they stopped running.

"Do you always annoy people so much that they always end up throwing things at you?" Shizuo asked to break the ice. Izaya let out a hearty laugh as a reply. Shizuo proceeded to ask the next question; "Who were they?"

"No one," he strictly answered.

"That's not a good reply, flea. Answer me," the blond demanded.

"No one you should get involved with," Izaya contributed.

"Fine, let me re-phrase this. Who the fuck did I punch? See, I'm already involved," he uttered annoyed.

"Indeed, that was quite unrequired," he replied. Shizuo was looking at him, trying to see through the darkness but to no avail. He then looked at his wrist, which was still being held by the informant. A burning sensation was crawling up on the skin touched by Izaya's cold fingers. "More importantly, why were you worried about me?"

If the question didn't have that tiny bit of mockery, Shizuo would have considered replying sincerely. Instead he grunted, anger slowly rising up from his stomach, and muttered bitterly; "No, _more_ importantly, why the fuck are you still holding my wrist? I told you I can run by myself."

"Hehe~ Perhaps… But you wouldn't have found a safe place like this and they would have knocked the shit out of you," he replied as his fingers slipped from Shizuo's hand. They trailed away slowly, leaving a red hot path. He shook it off, trying to get rid of the weird sensation as he attempted to focus.

"Isn't that what you want?" he asked.

"Not yet, Shizu-chan," Izaya simply replied, amusement in his voice. "Well then, see ya!"

"Wha-!" His statement was cut short by the sudden swift movement in front him that left nothing but a bittersweet scented air. He stayed ten more minutes in the alley, trying to figure out how to get out. He also replayed the conversation with his enemy inside his mind, frowning in wonder at how he managed to keep his calm once again. "Tsk, bloody flea."

* * *

Izaya walked inside his apartment, switching on the lights as he put his keys on the table. He was alone since he had sent Namie home before he left. A cool breeze entered from the window, caressing the blue curtains and filling the room with fresh air. He sat in front of his desk and stared at his switched off computer monitor. His face was expressionless once again, showing no emotion whatsoever. His thoughts were clouded, not even the informant himself knew what he was thinking. His movements were mechanical as his right hand moved on its own to open a drawer. He slowly glanced at it as he blinked and inhaled slowly.

"Always doing unnecessary things, Shizu-chan," he muttered.

* * *

After an hour of trying to find his way out of the alleys, Shizuo was back in his apartment. He sat down on his couch after taking a shower, thoughts flowing away from his mind as his eyelids closed slowly. He was about to drift into a sleep when his mobile started to ring. He woke up startled, swearing aloud as he fished for his phone.

"Hello?" he said, trying to contain his anger at whoever was on the other line for waking him up. Silence filled the air, creating an odd sensation full of tension and anxiety. He bit his lip, anger long forgotten, as he asked; "Izaya?"

The other line clicked, signalling the end of call.

* * *

**A/N**: End of chapter 2! As promised, it's a much longer chapter than chapter 1. Hope you enjoyed this. Things are still happening slowly, but we'll get there, eventually. I have to say, I was drooling when I was writing the first part of half-nekkid Shizu-chan.. Hehee. So, reviews are love. Thank you for reading :)


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